Power operated knife with adjustable blades



Feb. 14, 1967 R. M. PETERSON 3,303,563

POWER OPERATED KNIFE WITH ADJUSTABLE BLADES Filed June 25, 1965 3Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ROBERT M. PETERSON ATTORNEY Feb. 14, 1967 R. M.PETERSON POWER OPERATED KNIFE WITH ADJUSTABLE BLADES Filed June 25, 19653 Sheets-Sheet 2 N mo mm mm mm" M T R E B 0 R 1967 R. M. PETERSON POWEROPERATED KNIFE WITH ADJUSTABLE BLADES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 25,1965 zw mw J. m. W s

INVENTOR.

V: mm M E R U m T. mi 5 O R United States Patent O 3,303,563 POWEROPERATED KNIFE WITH ADJUSTABLE BLADES Robert M. Peterson, Racine, Wis.,assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Cnn., acorporation of Connecticut Filed June 25, 1965, Ser. No. 466,954 Claims.(Cl. 30272) This invention relates to power operated slicing knives, andparticularly to a knife adapted for slicing meat and other foods ormaterials by blades disposed in either vertical or horizontal cuttingpositions while the user holds the knife in a predetermined positionwithout rotating the body of the knife as a whole about its longitudinalaxis in order to change the cutting position of the blades.

Power operated knives on the market commonly are provided with elongatedgenerally cylindrical housings shaped to be gripped in the hand of auser in a predetermined position wherein the blade are disposed invertical planes and are adapted for slicing by cutting in verticalplanes. If the user of such a knife desires to slice in a horizontalplane, it is necessary to turn or rotate the knife bodily about itslongitudinal axis in order to place the blades at the desired angle.This rotation of the knife body from its initially designed positiondeprives the user of the benefit of the shape or configuration of theknife body which was originally provided to aid the user in grasping andholding the knife with the blades in vertical planes. 3

Also on the market is a power operated knife provided with an elongatedbody and a handle connected to the upper wall of the body, as shown inU.S. Design Letters Patent No. 200,905, assigned to the assignee of thisapplication. When held by grasping the handle, the body naturallydepends from the handle and the blades are in vertical planes.

The main object of my invention is to provide means for rotating theknife blades 90 degrees from their normal vertical planes withoutturning the body of the knife as a whole, thereby permitting the user toperform the slicing in either vertical or horizontal planes whileholding the knife by its handle or by gripping the body of the knife inthe manner intended for vertical slicing.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for preventingrelease or removal of the blades except when the blades are in thevertical position relatively to their housing and parallel to therelease means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a turret mounted on theforward end of the knife, rotatable about the longitudinal axis of theknife housing, for quick manual adjustment of the blade positions ineither vertical or horizontal positions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedrawings and following description.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational side view of one form of power operated knifeembodying my invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale,in the plane of the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the lower housing member and the partsmounted therein, the upper housing and handle being omitted for clarity.

FIG. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view in the plane of the line55 of FIG. 4, showing blade carriers and the blades in vertical cuttingpositions.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, showing the same parts when theblades are in horizontal cutting positions.

FIG. 7 is a transverse vertical sectional view in the plane of the line7--7 of FIG. 4, showing the carriers and the blades in their verticalcutting positions.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing the same parts when theblades are in horizontal cutting positions.

FIG. 9 is an elevational side view of one of the blade retaining leversand carrier.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view in the plane of the line 10-10 of FIG. 9.

In that embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the knife 10as a whole comprises a lower housing 11, upper housing 12 with integralhandle 13, and reciprocated blades 14 mounted in the forward ends of thehousing members. A switch button 15 is mounted in the upper housing anda blade release button 16 in the lower housing. A turret 17 is rotatablymounted on the forward end of the knife body. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4,the turret is cup-shaped, with its open face directed forwardly, and itsinner face provided with an opening 18 shaped to receive the tangs 19 ofthe blades 14 and projections 20 on the tangs, as shown in FIGS. 5 and6. The blades 14 are provided with grease guards 21 each attached to theouter side of a blade adjacent the tangs 19, said guards 21 partiallyentering the turret 17 as shown in FIG. 4.

Before describing the means for rotating the blades 14 from vertical tohorizontal planes, brief reference will be made to the mechanism fortransmitting reciprocatory motion to the blades. The motor 22 as a wholehas a shaft 23. A worm 24 on the end of the shaft 23 engages a worm gear25 fixed on shaft 26. A pair of cams 27 are eccentrically fixed on theshaft 26 to rotate with the shaft, their working faces being 180 apart.The shaft is journaled in bearings 28 mounted in the gear housing 29.The cams 27 are located between the flanged downturned arms 30 which areintegral parts of the driver bars 31 and transmit reciprocatory motionto the blade carriers to be described hereinafter.

The driver bars 31 are generally flat and vertically disposed in theirrearward portions which engage the cams 27. The forward portion 32 ofeach driver bar is semicylindrical in transverse vertical section asshown in FIGS. 7 and 8. One of the driver bars 32 is provided with aslot 33 and the other with a slot 34 between its ends. The driver barmembers 31 and 32 are connected together as indicated at 35. As shown inFIGS. 7 and 8, the slot 33 extends arcuately more than degrees in theleft hand driver member 32 from above a horizontal plane to the right ofa vertical plane, and the slot 34 extends more than 90 degrees in theright hand driver 32 from left of the vertical plane to below ahorizontal plane. These slots accommodate parts of the carriers to bedescribed. Reinforcing ribs 36 are located in the driver members 32 atopposite sides of the slots 33, 34.

Two blade carriers 41) are generally semi-cylindrical on their outersurfaces, in transverse vertical section, and are located between thedriver bar members 32for rotative movement relatively to said bars. Eachof the carriers 40 is provided with a centrally bored boss 41 whichprojects laterally from the carrier body 40. One boss 41 extends throughthe slot 33 of a driver bar 32 and the other boss 41 extends through theslot 34 of the other driver bar 32. Each carrier 40 is retainedrotatably relatively to a driver bar by a retainer ring 42 mounted onthe outwardly projecting portion of the boss 41, said retainer ring 42being held in place by a spring 43 mounted in a groove 44 near the outerend of the boss 41.

A retainer stud 45 in the central bore of each boss 41 has a head 46 onits inner end. The stud 45 has pivotally mounted thereon a bladeretainer 47in the form of a fiat lever, best shown in FIGS. 3 and 10.The'lever is retained by the head 46 between the head and the innersurface of the carrier 40. The retainer lever 47 has a hook 48 formed onits free end to provide a curved edge 49 which engages the projection 20on a blade tang 19.

Depending from the lever 47 is an arm 50 adapted to be contacted by thedepressible blade release button 16 mounted in the bottom wall of thelower housing 11. A retainer spring 51 has one end 52 hooked through anaperture in the lever 47 and its other end attached to a part of thecarrier 40, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10*, to normally hold the lever 47in position wherein the hook -48 and edge 49 engage the projection 20 onthe tang 19 of a blade 14. a

The blade release button 16, shown in FIGS. 3, and 6, is mounted in thebottom wall of the lower housing 11 in position to contact the arms 50'of the levers 47 of the two carriers 40 .when the carriers are in thevertical positions shown in 'FIG. 5. When the blades are in the Ihorizontal position of FIGS. 6, the button 16 cannot contact the arms 50of lever 47. The button comprises a face 53, side walls 54 terminatingin a flanged edge 55 which prevents the button from moving downwardlyout of the housing, springs 55 which bear on the face 53 and housingwall 57, and normally urge the button in a downward direction, out ofcontact with the blade release lever arm 50. The upright actuatingmembers 58 are located between the side walls 54 and springs 56 inpositions to contact and lift the blade release lever arms 5-0.

The switch button 15 and switch actuating mechanism are the subject of aco-pending application Serial No.

469,208, filed July 2, 1965 of Harvey Korshak and myself, and thereforeneed not be described herein.

The turret 17 is turned manually to move the blades 14 into vertical orhorizontal cutting positions. This movement rotates the carriers 40relatively to the driver members 32in arcuate paths limited by themovement of the bosses 4-1 in the driver slots 33 and 34, respectively.The blades are retained in their carriers by the engagement of hooks 48and edges 49' with the projections 20 of the blade t-angs 19. When theblades are in the horizontal cutting positions of FIGS. 6 and 8, thelevers 47 cannot be disengaged from the tangs 19. When the blades are inthe vertical cutting positions of FIGS. 5'

and 7, they can be released by depressing the blade release button 16 tothereby move the actuating portions 58 of the button into contact withthe arms 50 of the engage the side surfaces of the blade and cause theblade and carrier to turn about their longitudinal axes when the turretis rotated.

3. The power operated knife defined by claim 1, in which the cooperatingmeans on the carrier and driving means for limiting the rotatablemovement of the carrier in opposite directions comprises a slot in oneof said cooperating members and a boss on the other of said membersextending through the slot.

4. A power operated knife comprising (a) ahousing,

(b) power transmission means in the housing,

(c) a pair of blades reciprocable relatively to each (d) blade drivingmeans operatively connected to said transmission means, (e) a pair ofcarriers located between said blade driving means, I

(f) means connecting the carriers and driving means for rotativemovement of the carriers relatively to said driving means, and

(g) rotatable means on the housing through which said blades extend intoengagement with the carriers for rotating the blades and carrier abouttheir longitudinal axes to adjust the cutting positions of the bladesrelatively to the housing.

5. The power operated knife defined by claim 4, in which the bladedriving means comprise a pair of driver rods which are arcuate intransverse section and generally .complemental to the adjacent bladecarriers.

6. The power operated knife defined by claim 4, in which the bladedriving means comprise a pair of driver rods each having a generaliyflat rearward portion engaging the power transmission means and anarcuate forward portion generally complemental to the carriers.

7. The power operated knife defined by claim 4, in

V which the blade driving means comprise a pair of driver levers 47,causing the lever to pivot about the stud and to raise the hook 48 andedge 49 out of engagement with the projections 20 on the tangs -19 ofthe blades. The button 16 returns to undepressed position underinfluence rods which are arcuate in transverse section adjacent thecarriers and each provided with a slot, and in which each carrier isprovided with a radially extending boss slidable in the slot in one ofthe driver rods, whereby the rotative movement of the carrier'relativelyto the driver rod is limited.

8. The power operated knife defined by'claini 7, in which the arcuatelength of the driver slots permits the carriers and blades to rotate 90degrees about their longitudinal axes.

of the springs 56, and the levers 47 resume normal posito a particularexample embodying the same, but I wish 7 it to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the construction shown in the drawings andthat various changes may be made in the construction and generalarrangement of parts without departing from the invention defined by theclaims.

I claim: I 1. In a power operated knife having a housing, powertransmission means in the housing, a knife blade, and blade drivingmeans deta-chably connecting said knife blade to said transmissionmeans, means for adjusting the position of the blade. relatively to thehousing for cutting material in planes at an angle to each othercomprising (a) a. turret rotatably mounted on one end of the housinghaving an opening therethrough for passage of the blade tang into thehousing, (b) a blade carrier rotatably mounted adjacent the bladedriving means in axial alignment with the turret, and (c) cooperatingmeans on the carrier and driving means limiting the rotatable movementof the carrier in opposite directions. 2. The power operated knifedefined by claim" 1, in which the opening in the turret is defined byedges which 9. -A power operated knife comprising (a) a housing,

(b) power transmission means in the housing,

(c) a blade reciprocably mountedin the housing,

(d) blade driving means operatively connected to said transmissionmeans,

(e) a blade carrier rotatably mounted adjacent the driving means,

(f) means on the housing for manually rotating the blade and carrier foradjusting the cutting positions of the blade to either a vertical or ahorizontal plane relatively to the housing,

(g) a blade retaining lever pivotally connected at one end to thecarrier and having a free end in engagement with the blade,

(h) means connecting the carrier and driving means for limited rotativemovement of the carrier relatively to the driving means, and

(i) a blade release button depressibly mounted in the housing forcontacting the blade retaining lever and releasing the blade for removalwhen the blade is in its vertical plane position.

10. A power operated knife comprising (a) a housing,

(b) power transmission means in the housing,

(c); pair of blades reciprocable relatively .to each (d) blade drivingmeans operatively connected to said transmission means, 7

(e) a pair of carriers located between said blade driving means,

(f) means on the housing for manually rotating the blades and carriersfor adjusting the cutting positions of the blades to either vertical orhorizontal planes relatively to the housing,

(g) a blade retaining lever pivotally connected at one end to eachcarrier and having a free end in engagement with a blade,

(h) means connecting the carriers and driving means for limited rotativemovement of the carriers relatively to the driving means, and

(i) a blade release button depressibly mounted in the housing forcontacting the blade retaining levers and releasing the blades forremoval when the blades are in their vertical plane positions relativelyto the housing.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 941,967 11/1909Vogel 30272 2,506,736 5/ 1950 Oschwald. 2,588,477 3/1952 Briggs.3,234,649 2/1966 Preble et a1. 30272 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

JAMES L. JONES, 111., Examiner.

1. IN A POWER OPERATED KNIFE HAVING A HOUSING, POWER TRANSMISSION MEANSIN THE HOUSING, A KNIFE BLADE, AND BLADE DRIVING MEANS DETACHABLYCONNECTING SAID KNIFE BLADE TO SAID TRANSMISSION MEANS, MEANS FORADJUSTING THE POSITION OF THE BLADE RELATIVELY TO THE HOUSING FORCUTTING MATERIAL IN PLANES AT AN ANGLE TO EACH OTHER COMPRISING (A) ATURRET ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON ONE END OF THE HOUSING HAVING AN OPENINGTHERETHROUGH FOR PASSAGE OF THE BLADE TANG INTO THE HOUSING, (B) A BLADECARRIER ROTATABLY MOUNTED ADJACENT THE BLADE DRIVING MEANS IN AXIALALIGNMENT WITH THE TURRET, AND (C) COOPERATING MEANS ON THE CARRIER ANDDRIVING MEANS LIMITING THE ROTATABLE MOVEMENT OF THE CARRIER IN OPPOSITEDIRECTIONS.